Hello!I wanted to create this thread in hope that the balance team reads this...For those of you not knowing me, I'm Treesixty and currently playing Core Ranger - The Discussion will be about Core Power Ranger thereforeLets jump right into it...

Greatsword

4 Skill: Counterattack - Problem: When somebody hits you in melee range, this skill roots yourself for like 0,5sec(I cannot count how often that meant downstate for me..), you cannot MOVE OR CANCEL this attack with weapon stow. Changes I would like to see:

1) Make the "kick" an evadeframeor (thats even better)2): Let us choose when to use the kick (meaning split the skill like thief's bandit defense

5 Hilt Bash: Good old Hilt Bash, lottery skill in my eyes, its so hard to hit it..

1) increase Range of the Skill or get rid of the weird precast2) remake the skill in order to make it more reliable ( I dont have a suggestion here tho)

Marksmanship Traitline ( I call it the "Devs have long forgotten about this traitline)Lemme start this way: Did you know that the minor traits of marksmanship only really work with 1 Grandmaster Trait? Remorseless that is. So For those unfamiliar with it, I will explain it shortly: You have 3 minor traits that boost your Opening Strike - U get Opening Strike, whenever u are out of combat - which means u basically have it once per fight! Unless you are using remorseless grandmaster trait, which gives u opening strike back whenever u gain fury! I think this is totally fine, but what about the other Grandmaster Traits?They dont give u Opening Strike back, so u are actually forced into remorseless, otherwise u are having 3 useless Minor traits!!!!My Suggestions: 1) Change the Minor Traits so they are used more than once in a fight or2) Give the other Grandmaster Traits an additional effect that gives u Opening Strike.

I Hope the balance Team reads this, but sadly I don't have high hopes for GS changes happening, but they should definetly "update" Marksmanship Traitline!Feel free to discuss/add/whatever

See you

I fully agree that the #4 kick should evade, would make it an actual counter attack and not punish the ranger for blocking with a defensive skill imo.

As for Opening Strikes, oh boy Opening Strikes, like I see what they’re wanting to do with making Marksman Bursty by default with the whole starting a fight with you and your pet critting, crippling and applying 10 stacks of vuln. That’s fine. But I feel like there should be a few ways to get Opening Strikes back in the traitline. The main one that comes to mind is Moment of Clarity, keep it as a master tier so if you REALLY wanted you could take both Remorseless and Moment of Clarity, and pair it with Clarion Bond And now you have a ton of Opening Strikes.

Or you can go with a sorta “assassin” build and just lead the fight with the Opening Strikes and try to kill them and drop combat fast enough where it won’t matter.

Another option they could do is just take onto the Grandmaster Minor: Killing an enemy refreshes Opening Strikes, just like the Remorseless of old. It wouldn’t be the greatest thing ever, but would make it occur more than once in a fight assuming there’s multiple enemies, but wouldn’t really make ranger OP given the fact our AoE is absolute garbage compared to other classes.

You don't feel like Longbow #5 could use a little twist too?

It's a good start to hit some of the low hanging fruit with some meaningful changes.

If going for option 2:

• Predator's Onslaught: Add "Gain a charge (0.25s ICD) when you inflict a movement-impeding condition on a foe. After 5 charges, you and your pet regain Opening Strike." (Already synergizes with Alpha Strike and all things that apply chill, cripple, and immobilize. Short ICD means you can't do instant-refreshes if tagging a group with Barrage.)
• Remorseless: Add an additional refresh when killing a foe. (As it once did before and it fits thematically.)
• Lead the Wind: Add "Refresh Opening Strike for you and your pet when you gain stealth or disable a foe." (Fits into Longbow skills and disabled portion can be used with other weapons and utilities that can inflict hard CC.)

@HeadCrowned.6834 said:You don't feel like Longbow #5 could use a little twist too?

I would love to see a Poison/Chill barrage

@"Wondrouswall.7169" said:If going for option 2:

• Predator's Onslaught: Add "Gain a charge (0.25s ICD) when you inflict a movement-impeding condition on a foe. After 5 charges, you and your pet regain Opening Strike." (Already synergizes with Alpha Strike and all things that apply chill, cripple, and immobilize. Short ICD means you can't do instant-refreshes if tagging a group with Barrage.)
• Remorseless: Add an additional refresh when killing a foe. (As it once did before and it fits thematically.)
• Lead the Wind: Add "Refresh Opening Strike for you and your pet when you gain stealth or disable a foe." (Fits into Longbow skills and disabled portion can be used with other weapons and utilities that can inflict hard CC.)

This is a very interesting idea. Although I gotta say, Opening strike really benefits Remorseless a lot, that's why It's such a good trait.

What I propose on top of your idea:

Each grandmaster Should also Affect the concept of opening strikes. Like how remorseless gives it more damage.

Example: Predator's Onslaught - Add "Gain a charge (0.25s ICD) when you inflict a movement-impeding condition on a foe. After 5 charges, you and your pet regain Opening Strike." Your opening strikes deal 15% more damage to movement impaired foes.

Thoughts?

Sure. Though, I wouldn't go with that exact bonus since PO already gives 15% against disabled and movement-impeded foes as is and doing so would make it better than Remorseless in terms of burst on top of sustained damage.

I guess to be more in-line with the theme while remaining useful for PvP (and WvW) would be to give Predator's Onslaught OS bonus an immobilize while having Read the Wind's OS bonus be a disrupting shot to call back to GW1 - where OS inflicts a daze and interrupting an enemy's skill with OS sets that skill on an increased cooldown.

Just gonna be that guy hey dagger needs love anet

for me i think the ranger is in the best spot compared to all other toons in the game right now. compared to other toons ranger is almost completly balenced compared a mes or necro. you when you play a ranger yes you have rang beond most players but also if need be you have good melee capability so its a win. also if you play condi its the high skill build for the class so its good. compared to a mes and necro ranger is litteraly in the mid not soo good they kill everything in one combo and soo bad were it takes forever to kill stuff they just right. i think the ranger for the most part could not get any changes to wvw and pvp and be in the same spot untill the new elite comes out for them but that is just me.

@HeadCrowned.6834 said:You don't feel like Longbow #5 could use a little twist too?

They could decrease the cast time of it, but im not a fan of increasing the dmg of barrage tho. Lb is a good weapon already, thats why I didn't say anything about it

@PaRaPhReNiA.8763 said:

@HeadCrowned.6834 said:You don't feel like Longbow #5 could use a little twist too?

I'd say increase the damage of Barrage, but with a twist. 12 hits kill with retaliation and nailing all or nearly all hits only happens in situations like PvE or people bashing down gates in WvW.

Barrage would be much better with half the amount of hits (6), the damage, power scaling, and cripple duration doubled, and the first strike inflict 1.5s of immobilize instead of cripple.

Damage would be the same but pumped out faster, 3s of overall cripple would be lost, a brief immobilization would be gained to ensure more are struck while reducing the amount of retaliation kickback.

Protipppp with GS4 block

Repeatedly jump while you're blocking. This wont trigger the counterattack

@PaRaPhReNiA.8763 said:

@HeadCrowned.6834 said:You don't feel like Longbow #5 could use a little twist too?

Yeah I see what u mean, Longbow is in a decent spot right now. But a 30 sec cooldown skill should be able to bring a little more than this imo.

One QoL-suggestion to add: Lightning reflexes should remove condis at the start of the skill if traited, not after the full casting time. I think this would be more logical as well, considering LR is a stunbreak.

@HeadCrowned.6834 said:

@PaRaPhReNiA.8763 said:

@HeadCrowned.6834 said:You don't feel like Longbow #5 could use a little twist too?

indeed it should 10/10